Siege of Alia (1182)

The Siege of Alia occurred in 1182 when the Ayyubid Egyptian army of Hazem Ibrahim laid siege to the rebellious Fatimid Red Coast city of Alia in present-day southern Israel. The Ayyubid victory at Alia destroyed the remnants of the Fatimid Caliphate and ensured Sunni domination over Egypt.

History
The Shia Fatimid Caliphate of Egypt had been overthrown by the Kurdish general Saladin in 1171, being replaced by Saladin's Sunni Ayyubid Sultanate. Some Fatimid remnants held out in remote parts of Egypt, and, in 1180, Saladin sent the general Hazem Ibrahim with 501 troops to secure the Red Sea port of Alia, which was held by al-Faiz and 298 Fatimid rebels.

The Ayyubids built two battering rams before assaulting the city walls in 1182, and their infantry forces were showered with flaming arrows as they escorted the rams to the castle gates. The gates were pounded down, and the Ayyubid army - mostly consisting of cavalry - proceeded to charge into the city and overwhelm the defenders. al-Faiz was killed during the defense of the city center, and all of the defenders were either killed or captured in the Fatimid Caliphate's last stand.